Welcome

Shirley H. Showalter

We at Goshen College are very excited about the Plowshares Project funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc. Because of our founding relationship with one of the historic peace churches, the Mennonite Church, we have a strong tradition of emphasizing peace in the curriculum and in the social, intellectual, and spiritual life of the campus. For many years we had a minor in peace studies, and in 2000 we inaugurated a major in peace, justice, and conflict studies. We now have three professors in peace studies and professors in other departments who teach courses in the program.

In addition to this strong interdisiplinary program, we offer a campus steeped in the theology of peace. Not everyone here is a pacifist, but all are exposed to nonviolence as an approach to living, a position our faculty members support whether or not they are Mennonite. Many disciplines focus attention on peace. We offer a distinctive environment and are very pleased to be allied with Earlham and Manchester Colleges in this project. When their strengths are added to our own, we believe the goal of creating the strongest undergraduate peace studies program in the U. S. is within our collective reach.

President Shirley H. Showalter
Goshen College